Stoker
by liz-loz
Summary: India Stoker is still recovering from the loss of her father, 2 years after his death. Upon her 17th birthday, her mother brings to her party someone she did not expect nor think existed - someone who will change her life and the lives of those around them inexplicably, forever. India/Charlie. M for violence and sexual content
1. If

_A/N_

_Hi guys!_

_So this is a little detour from what I had previously been writing. I will still continue other fics I have going, but whilst the iron is hot, I must strike. _

_I have become slightly infatuated with the film Stoker, so wanted to write my own take on it. It is mostly canon, but I have taken away certain things and added others in. I also changed the name of the character for Whip, because that is the most stupid name I have ever heard in my entire life :D Hope you enjoy!_

_Liz xxx_

* * *

_**Chapter 1 - If**_

It was my 17th birthday.

The house was full to the brim, the sound of chatter bouncing off the walls and high ceilings as people laughed and joked – conversing about their daily antics. There were old women and women that thought they were young, plastered with makeup and clutching worn out designer bags like they were their lifelines. There were washed up war heroes still clinging to the exploits of their younger years, men leering over others like vultures about to swoop down on a long dead corpse. There were countless people, all I had seen before, but none who bore any affection, or familiarity. And then there was me.

* * *

"India dearest!" The sound of a shrill voice echoed across the room, eventually bouncing off the right walls that sent the waves shooting into my ears. I turned swiftly to the left and saw the beaming, rather flushed face of my mother staring back at me. She had already had too much to drink, I could tell.

"Come here!" Answering the call, I began to make my way across the room. With everyone else's rather gaudy attire, my plain black dress and shoes stood out somewhat, but I didn't care. By the time I arrived Mother had already started up her conversation again, but she halted it upon my entry.

"Ah, here you are!" Bony fingers clutched around my shoulder, pulling me in to what must have been a hug, but only caused me to bump violently against her side and almost spill her drink. "Are you enjoying the party?" Despite the timing of this soiree, my birthday was not the primary reason Mother had gathered everyone together. In reality, she simply wanted to show off her new boyfriend. I had never met the man, but had heard many rumours, some good, some bad. The guests may have had some indication to the true meaning behind the celebration, but luckily most of them seemed none the wiser.

"It's ok." I replied. The people around me chuckled, obviously taking my comment as humourous.

"I told you to change out of that drab thing – wear something colourful for a change!" Another sharp swipe across the fabric of my dress made me shiver, more laughs surrounded me and I felt very much like I wanted to leave. Mother smiled and took another sip of her martini. The alcohol oozed out of her pores.

"Where are your friends India?" Suddenly one of the other partygoers spoke. Her perfume stunk almost as badly as the drink, obviously used to hide the fact she was much older than she was dressing. "If it is your birthday party, surely you should have some people your age here?"

"I have no friends." Was my simple reply. For a second silence descended across the area. It was as if nobody knew how to act, whether to take my response as jest or true fact.

"Oh India, you say the funniest things sometimes!" Another hand on my shoulder, this one more forceful. I smiled, and went to turn and leave this godforsaken scenario, skulk away into another room away from the falseness and the desperation, when suddenly somebody entered the room.

* * *

Immediately everyone stopped. Nobody had told them to, nobody had made any kind of gesture or sound, not even the person entering. But they all did. He was tall, almost 6 foot. Couldn't be more than 30 years old, which was probably why Mother had gloated about him so much. His brown hair was short, skimming the tops of his ears and his eyes a piercing blue. I was astonished at how much I could pick out from such a distance, but then again, he commanded the space. As the obvious silence over the room became apparent, people slowly began to turn towards Mother. She had a beaming smile across her face, bigger than any I had ever seen before – even with Dad. Her eyes lit up and she threw her arms away from me outwards to open them in a big embrace.

"Charlie!" The man smiled. As he took a step forward into the room everyone breathed in sharply – it was like the temperature had dropped down several degrees. As he stepped further and further I saw how effortlessly he glided across the floor, his feet barely seeming to touch the ground. Mother launched herself forward, tottering forward like Bambi in her ridiculously high heels until eventually the pair connected, hands reaching round a waist to lift her into the air and spin her round quickly, taking her breath away.

"_Charlie_." Mother breathed upon re-entry. She turned to the crowd, everyone captivated by now and smiled, hooking her arms around his neck and leaning backwards.

"Everyone, this is Charlie. _My Charlie_."

* * *

School was just the same whether you were 16 or 17. I still walked up to the gates ignoring the stares, still pushed past the idiots that liked to crowd around entrances like hyenas, jabbering away to themselves in bozo language.

"Hey, India – stab anyone recently?" One of them jeered at me. Pitts Walker had tried to kiss me at our family's traditional Christmas party when we were eight and I had rebuffed him.

"No, but you're looking pretty good for it right now." I swiftly replied, forcing my way through his group without another word.

"Oooh! I'm so scared!"

"Stoker the Staker!" The halls were crowded but I zoned out the noise like feedback on a radio, heading for my locker and my first class.

* * *

As Mr Falkes talked to us about literary theory my mind drifted back to the previous night. Normally I blocked all 'social occasions' such as those from my mind within minutes of them occurring, but this one was different.

* * *

"India." Hearing my name had been surprising, especially in the strong, commanding voice that shot to my ears. Flicking my eyes upwards I had seen Charlie standing only a few feet away, staring at me with those piercing blue eyes. His hand was casually locked around Mother's waist, her fingers playing with his in a way that could only be described as affectionate, but his attention was solely on me.

"Yes." I replied, not really knowing how to respond.

"How nice to finally meet you – I'm Charlie." A hand had reached out, rough skin with callouses on that I could see clearly from where I was standing. For a second his hand hovered in the air, my eyes fixed on it with no other part of my body able to move, but then slowly I extended my own arm to let my fingers meet his. We shook and the same temperature drop I had felt before coursed through me.

"Your mother has told me so much about you." For some reason I glanced across, wanting to see this conformation in my mother's eyes. She smiled and nodded.

"I suppose you know just as much about me." Noise had begun to grow again as the rest of the partygoers became bored of our banal chat. As it surrounded us Charlie knelt down slightly, taking his height down to mine. His face drew closer and his eyes bore into mine. It was like he was searching me.

"Now I know this must be strange." He began again. Suddenly his hand removed itself from my mother, instead taking hold of mine so I let out a little gasp of surprise. "But I want you to know I have no intention of taking your father's place, nor will I ever be able to do that." I stared blankly forward, not knowing what to say, what to do. "I'm going to be around quite a lot and I want us to get along." His fingers moved across my skin, making me shiver and a strange sensation crawl up my back, like a spider. "I hope one day that you can find it in your heart to love me as much as I love your mother." Suddenly something else slipped into my hand. I looked down to see a small black box – the colour of my dress.

"Happy birthday." As Charlie drew away he was immediately engulfed – a swarm of cooing 40-something ladies fawning over him and firing question after question at his immaculate face. I stood motionless as they surrounded him, my eyes fixed on the black box that lay in my palm and what was inside it.

* * *

"India?"

"INDIA!" Immediately I jumped to attention. My hand flew down from my neck, the tips of my fingers still cold from where I had been stroking the metal of my necklace. Mr Falkes stared at me impatiently, just as the rest of the class now were.

"Have you been listening to anything I have just said?" He retorted. I noticed the sneers of the literary geeks, the smirks of the jocks that were sat on the outskirts of the room, surrounding me.

"No." I replied. Laughter rang out through the group and Mr Falkes scowled, turning away from me.

"I do not like your attitude India." He muttered under his breath, as he scratched my name in capital letters onto the blackboard. "Not one bit…"

* * *

The wind was cold as I stood outside the laboratories, biting against my skin and threatening to blow my cigarette out. I sucked in the smoke, thinking of how the weather would soon turn to spring and I would be able to get out more, as it mingled inside my mouth and seeped into my pores.

"You know you're not supposed to smoke here." A voice suddenly said. I turned around, only moving the top half of my body, to see a boy approaching. He had black hair, slightly curly – a confident look about him. I didn't recognise him.

"I'm telling you." He continued, when I made no effort to respond or reply. "If anyone catches you you'll get suspended." He smiled, kicking the ground the ways boys did and I smiled back, taking another drag.

"I think there are plenty of people that want to suspend me." The boy cocked his head to the side, examining me.

"Then why give them the ammunition?"

"To watch them struggle with the power." Silence fell between us. The boy had no cigarette of his own, and he didn't intend to ask for any of mine. His reason for being here was unknown.

"You're India Stoker." He said after a while. I nodded, still not really wanting to engage in any conversation. "You're in my Literary class."

"Oh really?" I replied, the exaggeration in my voice heavy and sarcastic. "_How fascinating_."

"Hey." The boy seemed offended. "I was just trying to make conversation."

"I don't know who you are." I countered. "Why should I talk to you." Realising his mistake, the boy jutted out his hand, just like Charlie had done to me.

"Carter." He said. "Carter Bownes."

"_Charmed_." I replied, shaking his hand with as little enthusiasm as I could. Carter smiled, shoving his hands in his pockets and doing a little dance to ward off the cold.

"Did you just move here?" I asked after a while, the cogs having whirred in my head. I remembered the name having come up in conversation a while ago, possibly from some blonde in the corridor or the chatter of two teachers. Carter's eyes lit up.

"So you _do_ know who I am!" he exclaimed. I realised my mistake and scowled.

"I guess."

"Well you're right." Carter continued, edging a little closer so I leant back against the wall, trying to arch my body away from him. "I did just move here. From Connecticut." Wow. That was far away. I tried not to show any interest, but it was hard.

"That must have been a long journey." I replied sullenly. Carter smiled.

"It was. But when you're trying to get away from an abusive ex-husband I'm sure you'd run across half the world if you had to." My eyebrows rose. Carter saw the reaction but didn't say anything, just scuffed the floor like he had previously. He had obviously been through this before.

"Sorry." I said feebly.

"What do you have to be sorry for? You weren't the one beating my mother half to death whilst I watched." A chill had swept across the area, slipping underneath my coat and making me shiver. Suddenly I didn't want to be here at all.

"Well it's over now." Carter said, trying to resurrect the situation and dispel the awkwardness that had fallen over the two of us. "We escaped. To _sunny Tennessee_." As he motioned to the cloudy sky and laughed I couldn't help but smile, but I hid it well. The clouds shifted in the sky, casting new patterns of shadow over the courtyard. My cigarette burned.

"I like your necklace." Glancing back at Carter, I saw him pointing to my neck. As I looked down I realised that my other hand had snaked up to absentmindedly stroke the pendant again. "Who gave it to you?"

"Charlie." I replied. For some reason I offered no explanation, no detail about whom Charlie was or how he was connected to me. Carter looked exasperated.

"Well it's nice."

"Thank you."

As my new acquaintance moved another step closer, obviously about to ask me another question that would bring upon a string of conversation, I silently stubbed my cigarette on the wall, picked up my bag, and left.


	2. You

**Chapter 2 - You**

When I returned home Mother was waiting for me. The sight was so shocking I almost fell over, tripping on the step up to the front door. I think she noticed.

"India dear!" She exclaimed, holding out her arms for a hug. Again I was shocked, only able to offer a feeble one with books and bags getting in the way. It had been two years since Mother had waited for me at the door after school – back then Dad had been standing beside her, a big beaming smile on his face that made my heart soar and my feet race towards him in excitement.

"How was school?" We entered the hallway almost simultaneously – Mother in such effort to prevent me from running away and thwarting her plan that she practically glued herself to my side and made me stumble forward clumsily. I placed my books down on the lounger a few steps away and cracked my fingers, knowing there was no way to escape.

"It was ok." I replied.

"Did anyone ask you about your birthday?" The questions were desperate – as I waltzed into the living room I heard the hurried clip clop of high heels behind me, Mother growing more panicked as her chance for family bonding slipped away.

"No."

"Are you sure? I'm sure somebody must have heard about the party." Was she enquiring about Charlie? I shook my head, almost disgusted at her own vanity.

"Nobody my age was _at _the party – unless they have fevered conversations with their grandmas about social events I doubt anybody heard." Mother stopped. The retort had stung her more than I intended it to. Immediately I felt guilty.

"A new boy started today." The words had meant to act as an apology – to restart the conversation and help her to push the matter aside – but immediately I realised my mistake.

"_A boy?_" Mother was practically ecstatic. Her whole body sprung into action, grabbing me by the shoulders and pushing me into a nearby chair – her other hand scrabbling to pull another one opposite. Oh no. I was really trapped now.

"Tell me _EVERYTHING_! What's his name, how old is he, what does he look like?"

"Mother…" I said, trying desperately to combat the situation, but it was no use. Her mind was already off, hurtling down a road of teenage love and romance and happy endings. I already had enough of this with her; I didn't need it loaded onto myself.

"Do you sit next to each other in class? Did he come up to talk to you?"

"_Mother!_ We just had one conversation, outside the laboratories. We were…" I suddenly tailed off, remembering what I had been doing. "…sorting out our bags."

"Did he come to you first?" I hesitated, knowing what the truth would bring.

"Well, yes but-"

"-Oh _India_!" Hands were clasped around mine, a happiness etched across her face that I hadn't seen in a long time. "It is so nice to see you socializing!" I almost laughed. The fact that she got this much joy from a conversation that had lasted merely three minutes, was something to be skeptical of. But I let her mind wander and simply waited it out.

* * *

The dinner hall was crowded but I sat alone. Nobody ever ventured towards my table and nobody ever tried to make contact – if they did it was simply to ask if they could take a chair. I was happy to oblige with the solidarity, I craved it in fact. Since Dad had gone I didn't much care for companionship anymore.

I was happily tucking into a sandwich – something I had prepared myself in the early throws of morning – when my silence was disturbed by a figure sliding noisily into the space in front of me.

"Hello again." Carter smiled and I grimaced. I didn't know why he had made it his mission to follow me around, but he had taken upon it most enthusiastically. I had already ignored him three times in the corridor, but he was persistent.

"Enjoying your lunch?" The look on my face must have told him otherwise – Carter shuffled forward so he could lean across the table in a rather large invasion of my personal space.

"I'm guessing by your reaction that you don't particularly enjoy my company."

"_How did you guess_?" I replied sullenly. My new friend was unphased.

"Well I'm always up for a challenge." I looked up, taking in his athletic physique, the fashionable clothes he was wearing that clashed violently with mine.

"Haven't you found a group of jocks to become best friends with? Or some bimbos to fuck?" Carter was both shocked and amused by my bluntness.

"As a matter of fact, I did." He replied, still with that annoying smirk on his face. "But I find jocks to be decidedly bone-headed and boring. The girls however…" He paused, gazing wistfully out into space. I felt a flush of annoyance rush through me and almost made a noise to snap him out of it. "…Well I did quite enough fucking in Connecticut." Immediately my face drew into a scowl. From an early age boys had either annoyed or repulsed me – I had no intention of mating with any of them. Carter laughed, obviously finding me amusing, and I turned to gather up my things and leave.

"Hey!" A hand darted out. As it touched mine I leapt in surprise, the contact reminding me of Charlie. "I'm sorry, don't go." I looked back at Carter to see him clearly repentant. "I'm not trying to sleep with you. I'm not trying to do anything with you. I just want to talk." Glancing around the room I saw the lives of many other students. So wrapped up in their own fantasies they barely had time to even think of anyone else. Carter was either very tired of being popular, or looking for someone to screw around. Either way I would make sure he was the one that ended up hurt.

"Ok." I replied quickly, swiveling back round and returning to my sandwich without another word. Carter seemed confused, as if he didn't know what I was saying, or expected more of a fight. When I continued to eat, nonplussed by his response or even his presence, he simply shrugged his shoulders, got out his own food, and chewed silently.

* * *

Charlie was coming for dinner. I didn't know why, but the thought made my gut twist. Mother lounged around on the sofa watching trashy TV as Maria the housekeeper slaved away cooking the dinner, and I sat by the window watching the rainfall. The large sycamore tree stood tall in the distance as I gazed out into the garden. I longed for the days where it would be dry enough for me to sit up there, alone and hidden from the world. Once again my fingers found themselves incased around the pendant of my necklace. Somehow, despite the person who had given it to me, it was soothing.

* * *

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. I jumped to attention, not knowing why I was so scared. Mother rushed to the entrance hall, practically shoving Maria out of the way so she could open the door herself.

"Charlie!" I tried not to look, I really did. But it was just too tempting. The rain was falling fast outside, so my mother's boyfriend was pretty wet. The water had soaked into his sweater, leaving little dark spots that resembled some kind of artistic pattern. It had also saturated his hair, causing tiny droplets to run down his nose and fall against his lips, or get caught in his eyelashes. How could I see that from so far away?

"Darling." He said, his mouth stretching out into a wide smile as he held open his arms and Mother threw herself into them.

The pair quickly shut the door and began drying off, so I rushed back to my position looking out of the window and tried not to notice their presence.

"India?" Mother called, even though I was only in the other room. I pretended to be deaf, concentrating on a solitary raindrop that was speeding down the window pane, engulfing other helpless drops as it passed, and trying to ignore the quickening speed of my heart.

"India, Charlie is here!" As Mother entered the drawing room she spied me and clasped her hands together excitedly. "There you are! Say hello!" I turned slowly, feeling the twisting sensation in my gut again. Charlie smiled, that same expression he had given me when we first met. His eyes bore into mine and I felt almost violated in a single second.

"Hello India." He said, grinning – but making no move to advance nearer.

"Hello Charlie." I replied. I knew the correct behaviour for a child greeting their potential step-parent was to be morose, to hate them and treat them cruelly. But I simply couldn't do anything when Charlie was around.

"I still can't believe you walked all that way in the rain!" Mother began again, already spinning into heady delirium as she fawned over her precious boyfriend. "You should have called the house and Maria could have brought you an umbrella."

"It's only a bit of rain." Charlie replied, "I can manage." For some reason he smiled at me as he spoke – my gut twisted tighter and I longed to be outside in my sycamore tree.

"Well let's get you into the living room so you can warm up whilst we wait for dinner." As the two adults headed into the other room, I turned back to the window and took several deep breaths. In and out… in and out…

* * *

The clink of metal against china echoed around the room ominously. I had sat and stared at my Steak Diane for a good ten minutes before I had touched any of it, and even now it had simply been cut up and moved around the plate. Mother had eaten half of hers, consuming dainty little bites that were so tiny they could hardly even be called morsels – every time dabbing at the sides of her mouth with a napkin I swear she had magically produced. Charlie had almost finished.

"Do you like the meat?" Mother asked, a hint of concern in her voice. Charlie smiled, spearing another piece with his fork and bringing it up to his mouth.

"Delectable." As he chomped on the mouthful the sound seemed to echo in my mind, ringing against the sides of my skull so I momentarily closed my eyes. When I opened them again I watched him plunge his knife into the main piece of meat, a watery blood red substance oozing out onto the plate and mingling with the sauce. My stomach lurched.

"Are you not hungry India?" Suddenly the attention was on me. I immediately felt embarrassed that nothing had been touched on my plate – surely they were wondering why? As I looked up and met eyes with Charlie, he had a strange glint in his eye that only added to my nausea.

"No, I feel a little sick." I replied, speaking honestly for once. Charlie chewed on his next mouthful, staring at me intently. It was as if he was sorting through my soul and choosing what to keep or discard.

"I'm sure it's nothing – Maria picked only the best cuts of meat from the store." Well at least she wasn't trying to pawn the cooking off as her own.

"I'm glad you like the necklace." Charlie commanded the space again, his eyes flicking down to the pendant resting at the base of my neck. My hand reached up to subconsciously check it was there again, before I realised what I was doing and blushed.

"Oh yes, she loves it." Mother said, butting into the conversation as per usual. "Barely ever takes it off." My embarrassment grew, tingling on the tips of my ears so I had to fight not to bite my lip, or say something rude. Charlie smiled again, obviously pleased.

"Well I'm glad. It suits you."

Hoping my time in the spotlight was over I looked down at the table and tried to concentrate on the little cracks in the wood – like lifelines that had told it's story before it was hacked down.

"India met a boy at school." Oh God. Immediately my face flushed red again. I didn't look up for fear of what I might see.

"Really?" When I did finally venture my eyes above the table I saw Charlie leaning his elbow casually on the tabletop, his fork hanging lazily from his left hand. He looked a little amused.

"Yes! His name is Carter and they have the same Literature class."

"_Carter_…" The way he stretched out his name, let it roll off his tongue and then hang there, dangling in the wind for what seemed like hours before his lips finally closed, made me squirm.

"He's not my boyfriend." I suddenly blurted out. The abruptness of my response made Mother jump a little – something she hastily tried to hide with a flick of her hair and laugh – but Charlie was unphased. "We barely even know each other."

"That's ok." My potential step-father replied. "These things take time to grow."

"You must invite him around once you become more acquainted." Mother continued, reverting back to cutting her meat as she spoke. "We would love to meet him."

"Indeed we would…"

* * *

As I lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. I thought about the events of dinner. Not much more had been said during the remaining courses – as soon as they almost full amount of my dessert had been removed from in front of me I had sprinted towards the door, wanting to get out of the room as quickly as possible. Mother had shouted me back in annoyance, but I had ignored her, heading straight for my room and locking the door. Through the floor I could hear the sound of jazz music, loud drunken chatter and laughter, mostly from my mother's end, swirling over it and adding a rather jarring harmony. Why had I defended myself so much? True – Carter was not my boyfriend, nor did I intend for him to be any time soon, but still. Why had I wanted to deny it so much? Charlie's reaction had confused me, sent mixed messages shooting down my nervous system. I wanted to block it all out.

Reaching for my walkman, I found a CD containing the loudest tracks I could possibly imagine, stuck my headphone on and pressed play.


	3. Knew

**Chapter 3 - Knew**

It was another three days before Carter spoke to me again. He still sat with me every lunchtime, opposite, the way he had before. But he said absolutely nothing. I couldn't tell if this was a way to annoy me, or perhaps play me at my own game. But I waited him out until eventually he cracked.

"So who is Charlie?" I smiled. Of course that would be his first question. The smile made him more agitated, something which made my skin tingle with delight. "Is he your boyfriend?"

"No." I replied, deciding to put him out of his misery, although it had been fun watching him squirm. Carter looked more relieved that I'm sure he wanted to let on, but quickly masked it with an apathetic look.

"Well who is he then?"

"My step-father." Now confusion spread across his face.

"You have a step dad?"

"Well, not really." I put my sandwich down lightly on the table, figuring this would need a more lengthy explanation. "He's my mother's boyfriend. So _soon to be_ step-father." Carter nodded his head in understanding.

"Ah. I see." Picking up my sandwich again I took a bite and chewed. Maybe I would switch from ham to cheese tomorrow.

"So he bought you the necklace?" I glanced up again, surprised he had remembered. Then again, it was hanging around my neck again, plain to see.

"Yeah. For my birthday."

"It was your birthday? When?"

"Last Sunday."

"Cool." I could tell it was hard for Carter to stay positive. I wasn't exactly handing him any lifelines conversation wise. But he had said he liked a challenge.

"Step-dads have a habit of doing that." He continued after a while, leaning forward slightly again the way he always did when he started a point. "They buy you something nice the first time they meet you, try to win you over with a smile and a treat." I nodded, understanding what he meant. He had obviously received many of his own gifts. "Then they go off into some quiet room and fuck your mom." Suddenly my whole body jarred. The image of Charlie, pressed up against some wall with my mother between him, whilst jazz music played and her screeching laugh filtered through, flashed into my mind. My mouth let out an unintelligible sound.

"India!" A few people on the neighbouring table had even stopped to stare at us. Carter looked practically mortified. "Are you ok?"

"Yes." I replied, almost so quickly that the word got stuck on my tongue. I could feel my whole body shaking but couldn't understand why.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"It's ok." I said, for once meaning it. "I'm fine." Carter stared at me nervously for a few more seconds, his eyes scanning me for any sign of distress, before he slowly returned to his lunch and I let out a long breath.

* * *

As I turned the corner into our driveway I saw the sun peeking out over the tops of the trees, casting dappled patterns over the ground. The rain had decided to halt for one glorious day and I could feel the temperature picking up. Hutching my bag onto my shoulder I moved forward, the sound of gravel crunching underneath my feet as I progressed.

* * *

I had almost reached the door and the ultimate possibility of discarding my things in favour of my sycamore tree, when suddenly a noise stopped me in my tracks.

"India." I whirled around, almost dropping everything in surprise on the floor and saw to my shock Charlie standing merely a few feet away, a smile on his face.

"Charlie!" I said in a whisper, strangely like my mother did. He was dressed in a simple cotton shirt with short sleeves, tan trousers that were smeared with little stains of green as he wiped at them with gloved hands.

"Did I startle you?" He asked. I blushed in embarrassment, not wanting him to know how I had felt.

"A little." I mumbled in reply.

"My apologies." I wondered if he was going to say any more, if I would be free to rush off into the safety of the house, where his eyes couldn't find me anymore. But for some reason my feet wouldn't move.

"What are you doing?" I asked. A faint smirk played on my future step-father's lips.

"Seeing as the weather has picked up, your mother asked me to spruce up the garden a little." He replied. I saw the hedge clippers in his hand, the blades glinting in the dull sunlight, and nodded.

"Oh."

"Do you think I've done a good job?" Flicking my eyes around the garden, I saw the shrubs looking decidedly neater. Whilst we did have a gardener, Dad had always made it his job to trim the hedges.

"Yes." I replied. Charlie grinned, making my palms sweat against the books they were still clutching onto.

"Well, I'll let you go inside." I suddenly realised what he meant. In a rush my feet found movement again – I bowed my head and rushed off inside the house, feeling his eyes watching me as I shut the door behind me and threw my school books onto the lounger again.

* * *

"I don't like Charlie." Carter seemed surprised that I had started the conversation. Both of us had gone through nearly our entire lunches without saying a word.

"Charlie?" He replied. "Isn't that your mom's boyfriend?" I nodded.

"Yes."

"Well why don't you like him?" I cocked my head to the side, trying to think of how to explain the situation without sounding crazy.

"He makes me uncomfortable." Carter's posture tensed a little, as if he didn't like what I was saying.

"What kind of uncomfortable?"

"It's like… When he looks at me, he's not _looking _at me. He's _searching_ me."

"Sounds like a creep." I stopped looking out into space, focusing on my new acquaintance again. _Creep_. I had never thought about Charlie in that way before.

"My mom went out with this guy once…" Carter continued, completely discarding the rest of his food in favour of leaning forward across the table again. "…who liked to collect stuffed animals. He kept them all in his room like little prizes. It creeped me out." I smiled, not really knowing what to say. Carter seemed satisfied with my response and watched me for a few seconds.

"I'm sure he's just trying to work you out. See if you like him or not."

"Well I don't." I replied, folding up my last piece of tin foil and sliding it away from me.

"Why do you wear his necklace then?" The question made me stop. I'd almost completely forgotten I was wearing it, but there it was. Cold metal resting against my skin. As my fingers traced over it again, I saw that same agitation in Carter's eyes – the one that made me dislike him.

"I…I don't know." I replied. I watched him stare at me, again the frustration that I was giving nothing away evident in his expression. But he didn't press the matter.

"Do you want me to walk you to Chemistry?"

* * *

As we padded slowly through the school grounds, I looked on happily at the shoots of green appearing on the trees. Spring was here again. My favourite time of year. Carter's shoes crunched noisily against the ground, his hands still bunched up inside the pockets of his letterman jacket. Maybe it had been warmer in Connecticut. I wondered why he had invested so much time in me, whether he was beginning to lose faith in my humanity and give up. But he still stuck around.

"What class do you have?" I asked, feeling that same sense of guilt that normally landed me in a situation I didn't want to be in, but ignoring it anyway. Carter looked up, a flash of happiness in his eyes.

"Trig." He replied.

"But that's across the other side of the school." Surprise coloured my tone. Carter shrugged.

"I don't mind." As we approached the science buildings I felt an overwhelming urge to stop, to do something I had never done before. But suddenly we were halted.

* * *

"Hey India!" The sound of Pitts Walker made my shoulders sag. As him and his posse of jocks walked over from the other side of the courtyard I prepared myself for another onslaught of words – my walls building up to ward off any insults that might be thrown my way.

"What's up buttercup?" Carter didn't know what to make of the situation – Pitts's words not setting off any alarm bells, but my posture making him tense also.

"Go away." I replied, trying to diffuse the inevitable bickering that would follow.

"Oh look what we have here! India's found herself a new victim!" As Pitts reached the optimum distance of about three metres away, he stopped and pointed at Carter with his friends.

"Hey buddy! You know India likes to _stab people_ don't you?"

"I'd watch out!"

"Stoker the Staker!"

"Stoker the Staker!" I tried not to let the words hurt me, but I was tired of the constant harassment. As they jeered and pointed I turned to look at Carter, and saw a stony expression on his face.

"You'd better cut and run while you can – if you still want your face by the end of the day!"

"You're Pitts Walker aren't you?" Suddenly he spoke. Pitts looked a little taken aback, but quickly hid the fact and jeered again with his friends.

"Yeah, what's it to you? _Nerd_!" More laughter. I could see Carter's fists clenching in anger, but had no idea what he was going to do.

"I know all about you." He continued. Taking a step forward his posture was strong and confident. "People talk in little towns. I learn things quickly."

"What? That you're a retard?"

"No. That you're flunking biology for one." Pitts immediately stopped. The shock was written across his face.

"What?" He exclaimed, trying to sound flabbergasted. "No I'm not!"

"Well that's what I heard – that you'll need a tutor if you wanna get a D." Now the laughter from his friends was directed at Pitts. Small sniggers, that were extinguished immediately with a harsh look, but sniggers all the same.

"You're pathetic. Making lies to hide the fact you're fucking a serial killer." Carter took another step forward. I saw something in his eyes that I'd never seen before. Pitts edged backwards nervously.

"I'll tell you something else I know…" The dark-haired boy continued, moving closer with every syllable until he was almost nose to nose with the guy that had tormented me for years. "…Something India told me. About the Christmas party." Pitts's face dropped. Gone was the bravado, the cocky brashness that had earnt him the spot as the most popular guy at school.

"So how about you shut the fuck up and leave my friend alone, before everyone else finds out why you _really_ tease her." For a second nobody did anything. Carter's fists were still clenched with rage – I could see several of Pitts's friends wondering if he was going to hit him, if they would be needed for a fight. But neither boy moved.

"Got it?" Carter hissed. Pitts leapt back in fear, immediately trying to brush it off as a stumble, but knowing the damage had been done. As he moved to walk off with his posse his eyes flicked to mine, staring at me icily.

"You're lucky you've got your _boyfriend_ to hide behind." He said as menacingly as he could, seeing as he had just been humiliated. "I'm watching you…"

* * *

The boys stalked off and I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. Carter stayed in the same position, staring out at the wall of the Chemistry lab for a good half a minute or so, his chest rising and falling slowly. Then he turned around, unclenching his hands and smiling.

"How was that?" Suddenly I found myself smiling. A large smile, that stretched across my face from cheek to cheek – a happy smile. Carter's grin widened – his fingers stretching out so he strutted open-armed towards me again. I almost giggled.

"I can't believe you did that!" I said, my voice still flushed with excitement and joy. Carter reached me again and I almost reached out to grab his hand, but stopped myself.

"Neither can I." He replied with another smile.

"How did you know?" I continued, curiosity suddenly overtaking me. Through all the elation I had forgotten one important fact. "About the party?"

"I didn't." Carter said, the grin now across his face his biggest yet. "I just guessed. Was I right?"

My laughter rang out across the courtyard.

* * *

The next few months were happy. Carter and I grew to be good friends. We still sat together every lunch, and even hung out outside of school a couple of times – although never at each other's houses. I saw a goodness in him – a goodness that outweighed what I thought to be badness inside of me – strangeness. He was patient and kind, and slowly I grew to like him very much. Two days after the Pitts incident Charlie left for New York for business and didn't return. The odd telephone call was all we received. I began to adjust to my new life, and enjoyed it.

* * *

"What was your Dad like?" Spring had turned to summer, then autumn. We were almost in the throws of winter and I had to be careful to wrap up when I went outside now. Carter had finally gotten out of his habit of shoving his hands in his pockets to ward out the cold, but he would probably need to resume soon. As I turned my head from my position laid out on the grass, long strands tickling my face as I breathed and small bugs crawling across my legs, I saw my friend glancing back at me. In all our months of friendship, he had never once asked this question. Until now.

"_My_ Dad?" I asked. We talked about our mothers a lot, mostly in derogatory terms. But this was different. Carter nodded.

"Yeah." I moved my head back to rest on the ground. Clouds were forming in the sky, maybe it would rain soon. The sun fought to shine through them and I let the rays warm my skin as I thought.

"My Dad was my best friend." I replied after a while. Carter didn't react, just stared up at the sky like I was. "We did everything together." I thought back to the trips Dad and I had taken, into the woods in his battered old jeep. How when I was younger I had screamed with delight as we had raced over the bumpy ground, and he had held my hand to keep me stable in the passenger seat. Dad had had the most enigmatic smile – a smile that could light up any room and make any day brighter in an instant.

"He was just one of those people y'know, that _knew_ me." I turned to my left and saw Carter staring back at me. He had propped himself up with his right arm and was stroking the ground with his other hand, precariously near to mine.

"Yeah." He replied.

"I never had to worry when he was around – never had to fear or be nervous of anything. He was just _there_." Carter sighed. There was a longing in his eyes, for what I didn't know.

"That must have been nice." He mumbled.

"Yeah. It was." I replied.

"How did he die?" The question caught me off guard slightly. For a second I didn't want to answer, but then I remembered this was Carter – he wouldn't tell anyone.

"It was a car accident." I said after a while, turning my whole body to mirror my friend's position, stroking the same patch of ground absentmindedly. "He was travelling back from Chicago – some business meeting he had been to. He took a wrong turn into some woods and it was raining – they found him with a smashed up head and a bloody steering wheel."

"Wow." Carter said, sounding sympathetic. "That sucks."

"Mother didn't know what to do. She had always relied on Dad so much, she was lost without him. It took several people to convince her to organise the funeral."

"Did you go? To the funeral?"

"Yes." I didn't remember the service all the way through – parts too painful to recount had been blocked out from my mind forever. But occasionally I would get flashes. Rain on the coffin, black hats and umbrellas. The thud of soil as it fell down the metre or so to the grave.

"That must have been awful."

"It was." Carter's hand trailed slowly towards mine, pausing just before our fingers touched, freezing them there, hesitating. Then he carried on stroking the ground.

"What about your Dad?" I asked, now wanting to satiate my own curiosity. "What was he like?"

"A drunk." Carter replied, losing the caring tone his voice had adopted and replacing it with disdain. "A drunk and a bully. Everyone told my mom to leave him but she never listened. She just kept coming back for more."

"He must have been good once." I offered, trying to provide comfort. "For her to marry him."

"I don't think so." Carter responded, his forehead creasing together in a frown. "I think he was rotten from the start. And now he'll chase us forever." I didn't know what to say. This part of Carter's life always seemed to stay hidden – whether he was very good at hiding it or just knew how to forget I didn't know. Sometimes I marvelled at his courage.

"That must be awful too." I said, my hand skating just as close to his as he had before, but not touching. Carter smiled with chagrin.

"It is." A gust of wind blew between us, making my skirt ruffle and his jacket flip open. "Sometimes I wish he was dead." My friend suddenly continued, his face setting into a thoughtful expression. "But then I realise what an awful thing to think that is, with your…"

"Don't worry." I replied, managing a smile as I turned my body a little more towards him. "There are plenty of people I want dead too."

* * *

Carter seemed not to notice my words. His eyes had widened and as I looked down to see what he was staring at I realised my hand had somehow made its way onto his. I had never done that before. Carter and I had been friends for months, but we had never once exchanged so much as a hug. His skin felt warm against mine.

"I'm sorry." I said abruptly, taking my hand away and sitting upright, embarrassment rushing through me. Carter immediately scrambled to a seated position too, grabbing hold of my hand so my eyes were the ones to widen.

"No, don't be." He said quickly. I stared down at his hand on mine, unable to concentrate on anything else. I could feel his heartbeat through his fingers and it seemed to be getting quicker. "I've wanted you to do that for months." Raising my eyes up to his, I saw something different in them. I had seen it a couple of times before – when I had mentioned Charlie for the first time, and when he had turned around after Pitts had skulked off with his friends that fateful day. I felt blood rush to my own heart, and it beat faster within my chest.

"I could listen to you all day." Carter said, after a brief pause. He had not let go of my hand, but I realised I didn't want him to. "Just talking. You are the most interesting girl I have ever met." I tried to speak but nothing would come up. My throat felt blocked, like there was an apple stuck inside of it.

"And the craziest part is, you don't even realise how special you are." He continued, suddenly edging a little closer so his face was inches from mine, his breath brushing against my lips. "How amazing it is to be around you. How lucky your Dad was to spend most of his life with you."

"Stop it." I whispered, the words even barely coming out. I tried to avert my eyes in embarrassment but Carter brought his other hand up to cup my face and I gasped in shock.

"I'm being serious." He said, a hint of a smile on his lips. "You are…something else." Suddenly his fingers reached up to slowly run through my hair. The feeling was so nice that without realising it, I closed my eyes. I imagined I was lying in a river, that it was summertime and the stream was flowing fast, trickling through my hair and giving me the sweet sensation I felt now. My lips must have parted in satisfaction because when I opened my eyes they were already open – Carter was staring at me with those milky blue eyes and I found myself kissing him.

* * *

I hadn't ever planned my first kiss. I wasn't one of those girls that lay awake every night dreaming of my wedding, or the Prince Charming who would ride in and sweep me off my feet. But somehow, despite the lack of planning or forethought – this was perfect.

When we broke away I moved in to kiss Carter again. He obliged and I pressed my lips firmly against his, but when we parted once more he simply rested his forehead against mine and breathed deeply.

"Wow." He whispered, smiling so I could help but smile back. "It's getting late." He said after a while, eyes flicking to glance at the setting sun. I hadn't even realised the time had passed. "Do you want me to walk you home?" I nodded and we both stood up, gathering our things together.

* * *

As I waved goodbye to Carter and walked down my driveway, I felt like I was on cloud nine. Was this what happiness was like? Was this what some people felt on a daily basis? Practically skipping to the door, I unlocked it and bounded into the living room, only to see Mother there with an equally big smile on her face.

"India!" She exclaimed, making me wonder if she already knew my news. She was standing in front of the main wing backed chair in the room and stepped backwards dramatically to reveal a figure sitting inside it, a familiar smile upon his face.

"Look who's back!"


	4. Who

**Chapter 4 - Who**

"Hey Indy! What's up?" The phone was pressed to the side of my face, my knees bunched up to my chest as I leant against the window, about to cry. I had always hated the way he called me Indy, something I had never had the heart to say, but right now that was the last thing on my mind.

"Charlie is back."

* * *

I'm not sure if the look upon my face had been shock or horror. My hands flopped to my sides, every single bit of elation or happiness I have previously been experiencing vanishing like a puff of smoke. Charlie smiled.

"Hello India."

"Isn't this fantastic?" Mother had cooed, gripping onto one of my hands like a little girl and almost bouncing up and down in excitement. "His business has finished in New York, so he took the first flight back here!" My body felt lifeless. The hand Mother was gripping was like a dead fish, hanging from my arm and flopping about aimlessly and she moved it. I tried to respond, but nothing would come out of my mouth. He had ruined everything.

"You seem a little surprised." Charlie had said, bringing my attention back to him. It had been months, but as soon as he fixed me with that same stare it felt like the moment I had met him. "Did you miss me?" I almost choked. Thankfully Mother intervened before I could say or do anything that would display my true feelings. Sitting down on Charlie's lap, her legs swung to the side so she could show them off to her lover, she leant her head back and beamed.

"But you haven't even heard the best part yet!" She exclaimed. I was too busy trying to remember to breathe – wondering how I was going to survive these next few days – wanting Carter. "India? Are you listening?" I flicked my head up – looking at green eyes but seeing only blue – not milky blue, striking blue.

"The best part of all is that he's going to be around much more from now on. Charlie is moving in with us!"

* * *

"What?" Carter asked in disbelief. I had zoned out, so had to remember where I was and what I was doing. The realisation made my stomach lurch.

"He's back. He finished his work up in New York and took the first flight back."

"Oh my God…" I knew that when Charlie had left Carter had presumed it was for good. The look of relief in his eyes when I had told him had unnerved me at first, but now I understood.

"He was here when I came inside, I didn't know what to do." My breathing was growing faster – I could feel myself hyperventilating but didn't know how to stop it. "Mother says he's…he's moving in…"

"_Indy_." Carter said, suddenly taking on an authorative tone. "It's ok. _Calm down_."

"I'm trying!" I whispered back, still unable to control my body. The blue eyes swum across my vision and closing my own did nothing to block them out.

"It's almost as if he knew…"

"Knew what?" I made no reply. My eyes stared out of the window at the quickly darkening sky.

"Do you want me to come over?"

"Yes."

* * *

It seemed like hours, but eventually I saw the distant figure of Carter riding in on his bike towards the front gate. Rushing to flip the window catch I pushed it open, climbing outside and gripping onto the drainpipe to climb down. I had done this many times before, but never in this situation.

When my feet touched the ground I saw Carter at the top of my drive – beginning to run towards him I saw him discard the bike behind a hedge and run to meet me. We connected with a crash, my arms flinging round him to squeeze him in a big hug. We had never hugged before.

"Indy…" He whispered, sounding concerned but also a little relived. "Indy oh my God are you ok?" For a while I didn't respond. My face had buried itself into his chest and the feeling of his cotton shirt against my skin made me feel warm inside. As his fingers reached up to stroke through my hair I turned my head to the side and simply rested against him, fingers running along the line of his collar between fabric and skin.

"I am now."

* * *

It wasn't very comfortable, hunched together in a tiny cove where hedge met fence. Perhaps Dad had designed this cubby hole for me to play in when I was very little. Leaves scratched my face and twigs dug into my thighs. But I wasn't going inside.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Carter asked. He had attempted to put his arm around my shoulders, but it was hard considering the space we were in. I nodded, leaning across so I could rest my head against his chest again. This seemed to relax him.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled after a while. Looking back it seemed like I had overreacted a bit. But at the time I hadn't known what else to do.

"Don't be." Carter replied, his usual kindness taking over. "I'm just glad you called me." It was strange how it had taken us months to even touch hands, and in the space of a few hours we had leapt forward into intimate territory. Maybe he was even a little glad.

"Where is Charlie now?"

"With my mother." I replied. I hadn't listened for the jazz music to start up again, but I was sure it had. Maybe they were even doing other things, things I didn't want to think about.

"And he just showed up? Just like that?" I shuddered thinking about it. Carter pulled me in closer, kissing the top of my head and stroking my hair yet again.

"It's ok…I'm here…It's ok…"

* * *

I must have fallen asleep. When I awoke it was morning – the sun shining brightly in my eyes. The ground felt hard and I remembered where I was when I saw the hedge looming up behind me. Then I saw Charlie.

"Morning." He said with a smile. I looked down at myself and saw I was covered in dirt, twigs and leaves stuck to my skirt and in my hair. "Have a nice sleep?" As I tried to rake through my hair with my fingers, I glanced to my side at the empty space where Carter had been. I hadn't remembered him leaving, so he had obviously gone whilst I was asleep. I missed him a little. When I pushed myself to my feet, Charlie was still standing in the same position. He seemed highly amused at my exploits, but I ignored him and patted down my clothes.

"Yes." I replied. "It was lovely."

* * *

Carter apologised for his departure as soon as I saw him at school. I didn't mind, but accepted his hug gratefully. As we walked into the school grounds he slipped his hand into mine but for once it didn't alarm me. Many people looked surprised or shocked as we passed. I loved it.

Chemistry allowed me time to think. Now that the initial shock of Charlie's return had subsided, I was beginning to think of a plan. Mother was obviously still infatuated with him, so I would have to manufacture a way for her to see the light. Or I would have to get used to my future step-father being around a lot more.

Time was not on my side, nor were my reactions to Charlie's unnerving ways, but I had Carter now. He would help. The hour drifted past, burblings of chemical equations and formulas almost sending me to sleep, and when the bell rang I emerged happily to where my boyfriend was waiting for me.

* * *

"I still don't know how you can justify that – Spiderman had just as much right to be in the Avengers as Black Widow!" The laughter split from my throat, shaking my body and making me clutch on to Carter for support. He was laughing too, and when we stopped outside the entrance to my driveway we had to wait a few seconds before speaking again.

"_Fine_." I replied, exhausted with the debate. "You win."

"Thanks." Carter leant forward to kiss me – something that made my eyes widen in surprise, but then close again in satisfaction. When we broke away he kept his arms around my waist, gazing back happily at me.

"Now promise me that you'll call if you get upset again." He warned, putting on that authorative caring tone again so I smiled and ran my fingers through his hair.

"I promise. But I'll be fine."

"Ok. If you're sure." I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him, holding myself there for a few seconds until my feet eventually gave way and Carter groaned.

"I hate this bit," He murmured.

"Me too" I replied, kissing him one more time on the nose before I departed and walked off down the driveway.

* * *

I had hoped I would be allowed safe passage through the house and into my bedroom upon entry, but I was sadly mistaken. As I swept into the kitchen to grab a quick bite to eat, Charlie was waiting for me by the fridge.

"I came to school to pick you up." He said, fixing me with that same stare. I quickly averted my eyes, not falling for the trick again.

"Oh, really?"

"You weren't there." Feeling satisfaction flow through me I opened the fridge door and scanned it for something edible, then picked out a few slices of cheese and shut it. Charlie hadn't moved.

"No. I wasn't." As I moved towards the bread bin I sensed more than a little frustration in the air. Good.

"How did you get home?" Charlie's gip had tightened just a little on the countertop he was resting against, but he showed nothing in his expression. I took my time, buttering my bread carefully and laying the slices of cheese on the top perfectly before I looked up again and responded.

"I walked home."

"On your own?"

"No. With my boyfriend."

"_Boyfriend_?" Fuck. Immediately my plan was thwarted. Mother appeared in the kitchen, her hair pinned up and body wrapped in some kind of ornate dressing gown. The look on her face was one of delight and I knew right then I had screwed myself. "Are you and Carter an item now?"

"Yes." I admitted, cursing myself for my careless tongue. Charlie raised his eyebrows but still managed to look amused.

"Carter?"

"See! I _told_ you that would blossom into something great! Isn't your mother always right?" As she walked over towards her boyfriend I had no choice but to hang my head. How had she ruined everything in a matter of seconds?

"They walked home from school together." Charlie continued, an almost celebratory tone to his voice, as his girlfriend settled herself into his arms. "So she didn't see my car."

"Oh India!" Mother scolded. "Charlie drove all the way to pick you up! Wasn't that a charming thing to do?" I went to reply, but Mother chose the time to rub her nose against Charlie's smiling and then giggling as he kissed her. Suddenly my words turned to vomit.

"Maybe next time I could take them both." Charlie added after a while. Mother pondered the thought, and to my dismay seemed delighted.

"That sounds like a great idea!" I rolled my eyes. Placing my sandwich on a plate, I went to move off and escape to the upper floor of the house, but Mother stopped me again with another dose of unhelpful words.

"Charlie and I think it's a good idea that you spend some more time together – get to know each other." I paused, wondering where this was going. "So he suggested that you go out together, do something _fun_." _Fun_. That was an unusual concept. For a while I couldn't respond – my mind unable to decide whether spending time alone with Charlie was more horrifying than spending it with him and my mother – but eventually I managed.

"Ok. If I have to."

"_If I have to_! This isn't a chore India! This is family bonding time!" I glanced across at Charlie and saw him highly amused yet again. Was there anything that didn't entertain him?

"I'll let you choose the activity." He said, offering out what looked like a metaphorical olive branch, but to me was just another reason to hate him.

"Yes! What activities do you like to do India?" Suddenly I smiled. Bingo.


	5. I

**Chapter 5 - I**

As we traipsed through the undergrowth of the forest, my Wellington boots squelching in the mud and the wind whistling above us, I smiled in satisfaction. Charlie had fallen behind – my keen brain remembering the route Dad and I had taken and moving too quickly for him to keep up. I wondered if I would be able to lose him completely if I ran, but knew it would only come back to Mother and lead to more of this 'quality time'.

* * *

When I reached the small clearing I immediately slung the long pack I had been carrying off my back and began to unzip it, removing all the necessary parts. I had almost finished assembling when Charlie finally arrived – his trousers splattered with specks of mud.

"Hunting?" He exclaimed, holding up his arms in disbelief as he surveyed himself. "Is this what you _really_ like to do?"

"Yes." I replied, the smirk on my face undeniable – not that I wanted to hide it from him. Hunting had been one of my favourite pastimes with my Dad – we had gone every Sunday and I had loved every minute of it. As I flicked my wrist, cocking the gun and holding it upright in my hand, Charlie jumped backwards and almost stumbled over a tree stump. I laughed.

"Are you ready?"

* * *

The air was silent around us. I crouched beside the bush, poking my gun through the gap and closing one eye so I could look through the crosshairs. The rabbit was around 100 metres away, chomping happily away on a piece of leaf. It had barely noticed our presence. Charlie was crouched beside me. We had barely said a word to each other as we stalked through the forest. I had shown him the few hand signals Dad and I had used and he had dutifully followed them. I suppose I had to give him credit for that. As I moved my finger towards the trigger, I bit my lip. I was out of practice – the last time I had fired a gun being over 2 years ago – but I still thought I could hit the target. Pausing to let a gust of wind breeze past us (thankfully in the right direction) I took a deep breath and shot.

Bulls-eye.

"Yes!" I exclaimed, elation filling me. Jumping to my feet I rushed over to the kill site, the gunshot still echoing around me in the woods as other animals fluttered away in fright. When I reached the rabbit I saw that it had not been a direct kill. The animal was still squirming, its little legs flailing as it tried to escape. I knew I should feel bad about this sight, guilty even. But I didn't.

"Did you get it?" I turned to see Charlie approaching. He seemed almost as excited as I was, something that surprised me.

"No." I replied. "It's still alive." Charlie moved to stand next to me. We both stared down at the struggling rabbit, watching its life slowly drain away.

"Finish it then." That was strange. I had expected my future step-father to walk away, or at least dispatch the rabbit himself. But he let me.

"Er, yeah." I replied, hastily stepping forward to grab the rabbit by the head. It made a little pained noise as I drew it to my face, but I quickly silenced it with a sharp snap of the neck. The sound echoed around us in the trees and was strangely satisfying.

"Good." Now Charlie held out his hand. I stared at the outstretched palm, confused.

"What?"

"The rabbit. _Please_." Still unsure of what was going on, I gingerly handed my spoils of battle over. Charlie immediately crouched down, flicked out a knife he magically produced from his trouser pocket, and began his work. I watched in fascination.

"You know how to skin a rabbit?" He looked up, almost insulted.

"What do you think I did all those years as a child?" As he smiled and resumed his labour again, a strange feeling settled over me. Intrigue.

* * *

Once the rabbit was skinned and slung over my future step-father's shoulder, the latter obviously not caring about the remnants of blood that smeared onto his pristine shirt, we headed off in search of more prey. After his secret revelation I realised that Charlie might know more about the ways of hunting than he had let on.

"If you climb one of those trees up there, you could get some eggs." He said as we reached a ridge. I knew the trees that he meant, having climbed them before, and smiled.

"Yeah." I replied. "The branches are probably too thin to hold your weight." Charlie cocked his head to the side.

"Oh I'm not sure about that."

"Wanna see?" As we rushed to neighbouring trees I hauled myself up, branches scratching against my face as I rushed to push past up to the top of the tree. As I progressed I could hear the sounds of Charlie climbing beside me – he kept a good pace and I could see the flash of his trousers through the green. Near the top of the tree one of my hands reached out to grab hold of a branch, but it snapped between my fingers. I felt myself swing, crashing into the trunk but managing to keep myself up with my other hand and stop me plunging to the ground to my probable death. The experience should have shocked me, maybe made me scream – but I simply laughed. Then I spied the birds nest and shouted with glee.

* * *

Once I was back down on the ground I cradled the eggs carefully with my fingers, my heart beating out of control at the adrenaline of it all. Charlie was still coming down – I was shocked at how deft he was at darting through the branches. When he landed back down on the ground with a soft thud, He looked at me inquisitively.

"Did you fall?"

"No." I replied, not wanting to let him know. For a second something flashed across his features – was it concern? – but he quickly washed it away. As he opened his own palm I saw he too had several eggs in his hand.

"Guess I'm not as bad as you thought." He said with a smile. I smiled back.

* * *

When we emerged back inside the house, laughing uncontrollably to ourselves so we had to stop and catch our breath in the doorway, Mother came into the kitchen and almost screamed.

"CHARLIE! What have you _done_ to yourself?" Her boyfriend's shirt was torn – splashes of blood and mud covering it – his trousers were sodden and black from the ankles down and his shoes were most definitely ruined. I was pretty much the same – my skin covered in scratches from where we had rushed through the undergrowth, but it was a happy pain. I looked across from my mother's horrified face to see what Charlie's reaction would be. He laughed.

"India and I were having some fun." He simply replied with a smirk.

"But your _clothes_!"

"They're just clothes." Suddenly he produced the rabbits we had killed and skinned, along with the eggs. Mother screamed again and this time I laughed.

"Shall we put these in the larder?" Charlie looked at me, cocking his head to the side and grinning once again. I nodded, feeling very much like the ten year old that had watched with delight as her dad tried to console his wife over the animal carcass she had accidentally fallen into. We went to leave, leaving Mother and her high pitched wailing behind, but abruptly my future step-father stopped to reach out and pull a twig that had become wedged into my hair. The movement was small, but for a second it made every part of my body freeze.

"By the way." He said, still smiling that smile that had once scared me, but now left only intrigue. "Call me Uncle Charlie from now on."

* * *

"How was your hunting trip?" Carter sat opposite me once again, his legs intertwined with mine underneath the table and his whole body hunched forward, as if preparing to kiss me. Ever since our relationship had been finalised he had moved rapidly closer to me every time this familiar scenario occurred. It didn't bother me, but I did wonder with amusement whether he would start to bring a saw in and shave the table down in order to decrease the distance further.

"It was good." I replied, not adding any further detail. My boyfriend seemed surprised – he had obviously been expecting it to go the other way.

"Oh." He mused. "Really?"

"Yeah." I couldn't quite believe it myself. Somehow, through the pastime that drove most other people away from me in their throngs – Charlie and I had been drawn closer together.

"What did you do?"

"We shot some rabbits."

"How many?"

"Four."

"Jeez!" I knew the response was purely meant to tease, so smiled and rubbed his fingers with mine. "Did you shoot them all?"

"No. I shot two and Charlie the others."

"Wow, I'd better be careful you don't shoot me one day!" I scowled, making Carter laugh and his legs slip just that little bit closer. I was glad he could take this in his stride. I would never tell anyone else about these kinds of things.

"Well I'm glad." He said after a while, smiling and fixing me with one of his loving stares. "That you had fun." He suddenly paused. "If _you're_ glad…" I pondered the thought. _Was_ I glad? That Charlie and I had finally become amicable?

"Yeah." I replied after a while. "I am."

* * *

Another month passed. Charlie and I continued to go hunting – every Sunday before lunch – and we grew steadily closer from it. Things I had never seen before about my new 'uncle' slowly emerged and I wondered how I ever could have hated him. We were so much alike. Mother hated the hunting, but she did like how well we were getting on, so begrudgingly encouraged it. Carter took me to the winter ball and Charlie offered to drive us, but we declined in favour of Mr Bownes' hired Chrysler. He did that a lot I noticed. Offered. Never expected, never demanded. But was there. It was as if he was waiting, waiting for the moment where I would forget everything else and accept. The ball was pretty fun. Carter gave me a promise ring and said he had never felt this way about any girl in his entire life. And then I decided it was time for him to meet the family.


End file.
